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Trumpy the Rat
The rat inflatable in Washington, D.C., during the celebration of Joe Biden's presidential victory
ArtistJeffrey Beebe
Completion dateAugust 2017
MediumPlastic inflatable
SubjectDonald Trump
Dimensions4.57 m (15 ft)

Trumpy the Rat was a plastic inflatable act as a caricature of the U.S. President Donald Trump. Jeffrey Beebe, a New York City-based artist and BravinLee programs, designed a rat-like inflatable balloon to protest against his speech of hatred, xenophobia, sexism and bigotry. Kickstarter funded the production of this inflatable and used it during anti-Trump protests. It made its first public appearance in August 2017 outside the Trump Tower.[1]

Background

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The concept of Trumpy the Rat was inspired by Scabby the Rat, an icon for the American labor.[2][3] After an artist of BravinLee programs saw a rat in an avenue, he wished to see an inflatable rat that looked like Donald Trump to appear in the protests to show how Trump was being disliked. Trump's speech of hatred, xenophobia, sexism and bigotry was disgusting, and the rat was an iconic symbol to show that. Therefore, he contacted Jeffrey Beebe and Beebe agreed to create one.[4]

Trumpy the Rat was a 15-feet tall rat with a human-like face. The rat had an iconic golden hair which symbolized Donald Trump, but keeping some signatures of a rat such as big ears and whistle tooth. The thumb and the index finger of the left hand were gestured in a right angle which became a tick sign, while the thumb and index finger of the right hand were clasped into a circle, making it an OK gesture. The sleeves of the left hand depicted a Confederate icon. It also weared a Lapel pin of the flag of Russia which insinuated Trump's close relationship with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.[4]

Public usage

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The rat inflatable made its first public appearance in mid August 2017, at a protest outside the Trump Tower in New York City.[5] Later that month, the rat inflatable was placed outside the White House, and this was not aimed at a symbol of anger or hate, just simply a caricature of Donald Trump.[6] In October, Trumpy the Rat appeared outside the Municipal Services Building of Philadelphia, as part of the birthday celebration of Frank Rizzo, former mayor of the city. Art dealer John Post Lee, who set up the rat inflatable, thought that there were lots of similarities between Rizzo and Trump. Trump's absurd behavior that brought the United States to the lowest point in history.[7]

In December 2018, a protestor installed the rat inflatable on a boat in Palm Beach, Florida, though Trump decided to stay in Washington, D.C. because of the federal government shutdown. The mini protest aimed at impeaching Donald Trump or urged him to resign as the U.S. President.[8]

In March 2019, Trumpy the Rat appeared outside the Trump Tower again, and the protestors thought that it was a better caricature compared with the Trump Chicken.[9] In September, the rat inflatable was placed in Baltimore, ahead of Trump's visit to the city. Trump called the city "disgusting" and full of "rat and rodent infested mess".[10]

After the 2020 United States presidential election, people flew the rat inflatable balloon outside the White House as part of the celebration of Joe Biden's victory.[11]

A rat inflatable appeared during the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference, which held in National Harbor, Maryland.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Voon, Claire (August 9, 2017). "Trumpy the Rat Will Debut Next Week, When the President Returns to NYC [UPDATED]". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  2. ^ Mears, Bill (February 5, 2009). "Scabby the Rat comes out winner in free speech battle". CNN. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  3. ^ Hitt, Tarpley (March 8, 2023). "Scabby the Rat is an American labor icon. Why are his manufacturers disowning him?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Carrigan, Margaret (August 15, 2017). "Thousands of Protesters and an Inflatable Rat Welcome President Trump Back to NYC". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  5. ^ Flanigan, Tara (August 14, 2017). "A giant inflatable 'Trump Rat' has invaded Manhattan". Mashable. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  6. ^ Osborne, Samuel (August 30, 2017). "Giant inflatable Donald Trump 'rat' to visit Washington DC". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  7. ^ Hickey, Brian (October 23, 2017). "WATCH: 'Trumpy the Rat' comes to Philly to celebrate Frank Rizzo's birthday". PhillyVoice. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  8. ^ Touchberry, Ramsey (December 28, 2018). "Donald Trump Will Miss New Year's Eve Mar-a-Lago Party but Protesters Will Still Bring Giant Inflatable Rat". Newsweek. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  9. ^ "The 'Trump Rat' pops up outside Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle". Erik McGregor Photography. March 18, 2019. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.[user-generated source]
  10. ^ McGraw, Meridith (September 12, 2019). "President Trump heads to Baltimore, a city he called a 'rodent infested mess'". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  11. ^ Whigham, Nick (November 7, 2020). "The US erupts in 'wild' scenes as Joe Biden wins White House". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Photos: CPAC Day 2". The Hill. March 3, 2023. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
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